


You Make It Easier

by glowworm888



Category: South Park
Genre: Camping, Fluff and Angst, Grief/Mourning, M/M, Nostalgia, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-16
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-08-24 09:23:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16637243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glowworm888/pseuds/glowworm888
Summary: 11 years later, Clyde is still grieving his mother's death. When out in an uncomfortable situation, Craig helps him deal with the loss.





	You Make It Easier

It was a week before graduation that it hit. That Clyde's mom wouldn't be sitting beside his dad and sister clapping for him when the principal handed him his diploma. And after almost 11 years of uncontrollable guilt and emptiness since her death, this would be his first massive accomplishment that she wouldn't be here for. The first of many. Right now it's his high school graduation, but there will still be his college graduation, his wedding, his first child, and all the little victories in between. And he'd have to do them all without her. 

This realization hit him while he was out with his friends, celebrating their high school careers being over. He was at Token's house watching Kyle and Kenny duke it out in Wii Sports boxing, and sitting around with the rest of the guys waiting for their turn. 

"Dude, Clyde, why do you look so sad?" 

Clyde turned his head to face Token, who looked mildly concerned. 

"Nah man, I'm good" he said, feeling slightly guilty for lying to his best friend. But Clyde had promised himself he'd stop being a crybaby so he wouldn't annoy people as much. 

"Hey, we should invite some chicks over and do some 7 minutes in heaven" Cartman smirked. The boys turned their heads towards him after watching Kenny's Mii take a killer hit to the temple. 

"You mean like we did in 7th grade so we could watch Stan barf when he got nervous?" 

Cartman gave Kyle a smug look. 

"Hell yeah" 

"It might be fun for the nostalgia," Token said, "what do you think, Clyde?" 

Clyde shrugged. He was hoping the little get-together would be over by 11 so he could just go home and sleep. But everyone would know he was bummed out if he turned down a chance at 7 minutes in heaven. 

"I'm down" he said shortly, slumping down into the couch. 

In a matter of minutes, the guys had contacted all of the girls worth contacting, and they had started trickling into Token's house. When they had the whole cast present, Stan elected himself the leader of the game (presumably to avoid having to puke on someone in a closet). 

"Alright, are we doing 'boy with girl' like we did back in the day, or should we just pile them together?" 

"We can't imagine Bebe and Nichole making out if we separate them, so just mix them" Cartman snorted, earning himself several glares from the girls. 

Stan ripped a sheet of notebook paper into bits and had everyone write their names on them. Clyde hesitated for a moment, trying to think of a way he could get out of it without making it a big deal. But because he's Clyde Donovan, he had no choice but to keep quiet and scribble his name down. Stan grabbed a stocking that had been left out since Christmas and threw the names in. 

"Alright, our first victims are..." 

He shuffled his hand around dramatically through the stocking. He grabbed a piece of paper and held it up to his face. 

"Heidi! And..." He grabbed another paper, "Butters!" 

Butters blushed and stood up. Heidi gave him a polite smile, and stepped followed the blond boy into Token's closet. Clyde reclined himself against an ottoman and let his eyes close. They we're falling heavy from sadness and dread. He just couldn't stop thinking about graduation and how...wrong it will feel without his mom. 

After 7 minutes, Stan let Heidi and Butters out of the closet. They walked out looking modest and humble, but a faint, pink lipstick print adorned Butters' cheek. 

Stan rummaged through the stocking and pulled out another paper. 

"Okay, next is Clyde! And..." 

Clyde felt his face drain. He didn't want to go huffing someone else's breath tonight. 

Fine, just please don't let it be Bebe! 

"Craig!" 

Clyde rolled his eyes. He'll have 7 minutes of making fun of his classmates with Craig, then he could leave the party without feeling bad. He shuffled towards the closet, ignoring Jimmy and Kenny who were "ooooh"-ing at him. Craig sent a middle finger their way before the closet door shut. 

"Damn, Token's got a lot of shit" Craig mused quietly from one side of the closet. Clyde hummed in agreement, and sat down on a pair of shoes. 

"So, uh, ready to graduate?" Craig asked to fill the silence. 

"I suppose" he said sheepishly. He was not ready to graduate. Not because he wasn't ready to leave the school, but because it almost felt like moving on from his mom's death. He'd graduate, find a nice college, move away, and that will be that. It felt wrong. 

"What's been up with you lately?" 

Clyde was glad Craig couldn't see him, because his eyes started swelling from tears. 

"Nothing, why?" He replied, trying to keep his voice from cracking. 

"Bullshit" 

"Seriously, nothing's the matter" he said, trying to sound cool and collected, like Clyde Donovan should be. 

"Is it your mom?" 

In that moment, Clyde couldn't stand Craig's arrogant ass. How the hell did he know? He refused to respond. 

"No one's going to think less of you Clyde. And if you hide it, they're all too ignorant to see you hurting, but don't think I can't" 

Get over yourself. That's what he wanted to say. He knows Craig had good intentions, and he likes Craig. They've been pals since 1st grade. But he felt exposed but how cocky he was acting. 

Clyde felt something swipe at his head, and scooted backwards in reaction. He got caught on the shoe he was sitting on and tumbled to the floor. 

"God dammit" he mumbled. He didn't get up though. He just couldn't find the strength. 

"Oh, you're down there" he heard Craig say. And before he could object, he felt Craig sit down next to him. 

"Fine, you got me, I'm sad. You don't have to make it a big thing" Clyde said, almost feeling bad about using such harsh words with his friend. 

"I'm not going to make a big thing of it. But it's a thing, and you have the right to acknowledge that. And I'll respect that" 

Okay, now he really did feel bad about snapping at Craig. 

"She's been gone for so long. I barely even remember her..." He trailed off in sniffles. The sniffles turned into choked back tears, which soon turned into silent sobs. 

"Dude, Clyde, do you need a hug?"

Clyde nodded his head. He loves hugs. But then he realized Craig couldn't see him nodding, and choked out a "yeah". 

He felt Craig's arms wrap around either side of him. His arms were warm and sturdy, and Clyde felt himself collapse into them. He was too drained to feel embarrassed about it, so he just let Craig hold him. He only lifted his head when he heard a knock on the door. 

"Alright, 7 minutes is up!" Stan said from the other side of the door. 

"Give us a few minutes" Craig replied coldly. The boys made "oooooh" sounds, and the girls giggled. But Clyde didn't care. He almost would rather everyone think he was having a steamy moment with Craig than let them know he was breaking down at a fucking graduation party. 

"Want me to drive you home after this?" Craig whispered to him. Clyde nodded into his chest, but didn't speak. His crying had faded, but he still felt empty. 

Clyde felt Craig let go of him and stand up, but the dark-haired boy's hands found his own and helped him stand up. He gave him one last squeeze before knocking on the door. 

"Quick, unzip your pants. Let's mess with them a little" Craig whispered. Clyde chucked, and unzipped his jeans. He even messed up his hair just for fun. 

When Stan opened the door, Clyde could see that Craig had skewed his hat and also unzipped his jeans. He gave a nod to Stan and walked past everyone who was staring at him. Clyde followed, trying to imitate his nonchalant vibe. Craig stepped over everyone else, and grabbed his keys from the dresser. 

"We're leaving. See y'all at graduation" Craig said, flipping one last bird. Clyde pretended to act embarrassed and zipped his pants back up, then followed Craig out the door. 

"See? No one suspects a thing" 

"Yes, well now they think we did the hokey pokey and turned ourselves around!" Clyde snickered. He wiped at a dried tear stain on his cheekbone. 

"Eh, I needed to go out with a bang" Craig smirked, fixing his hat. He led Clyde out to his little grey Mazda and opened the passenger side door for him. Then he got in the driver's seat and started the car. 

"So are you ready to go home, or you wanna go find somewhere quiet?" Craig asked, a more careful tone seeping into his voice. 

"Just drive" Clyde said quietly. He wasn't ready to go home. 

Craig nodded and turned on the warm air. Clyde tucked himself into his jacket and just watched the road. 

"Do you want to talk?" Craig asked, his eyes fixated on the road. The turned off the radio that Clyde hadn't even noticed had been playing. 

"I don't think so" he replied softly. He didn't want to be a jerk to Craig; it's not very often Craig is this considerate of others' emotions. But the more he thought about it, the more upset he got. 

"Let's talk about something else" Clyde offered half-heartedly. Craig nodded slowly. 

"Did you see Bebe's face when we came out of that closet?" Craig said, chuckling. Clyde hadn't paid attention, but it felt good to make her uncomfortable like that. A smile formed on his lips. 

"I wish. I saw Cartman's though. He looked like he was about to pass out" he snickered. 

"Fucking fantastic" Craig said smugly. Clyde subconsciously started untucking himself from his jacket. 

"What are we gonna do with all the people who think we're hooking up right now?" Clyde asked, his fingers softly drumming on the center console. Craig turned his head towards Clyde and looked into his eyes. 

"Let them think we're hooking up. It's not their business" 

Clyde frowned. 

"I suppose. It just seems a little... odd for me to go out like this" 

Craig smirked again, forming a dimple beside his mouth. This time, instead of finding his attitude irritating, Clyde admired his mindset. He both envied it and found it attractive. 

"You've always been so obsessed with reputation, dude. So what if a few of your high school classmates think you're gay? Lots of people think I'm gay" Craig explained. 

"You are gay Craig" Clyde snickered. Craig smiled. 

"And in the end, no one gives a damn. Just be gay for a night Clyde" 

Clyde smiled. A real, genuine smile that had been trying so hard not to surface. It was so different than the smile he wore when he was trying to pick up chicks or impress his friends. Craig must've noticed, because he was looking at Clyde in amusement. 

"What?" He asked defensively, still smiling. 

Craig shook his head and smirked. 

"I'm gonna miss you dude" 

It was probably just the warm air from Craig's car, but Clyde felt his face get hot. 

"I'll miss you too" he choked. 

The two boys had been driving long enough that they reached a dirt road that stretched up into The Rockies. Craig has made sure Clyde wanted to keep going before he turned off into the mountains. None of the city lights could touch the forest. It was untouched and pure, and Clyde craved it. His mom loved to just drive through the forest with the windows down. His whole family would go, and they'd spend a day at the lake. He hadn't even been up here since she had died, yet he felt too drained to grieve about it. 

"Craig, let's go to the lake" Clyde mumbled, his eyes still fixated on the passing trees. 

"Alright. You sure your dad won't mind?" 

Clyde had intended to just crash at Token's with all the other guys, so his dad wasn't expecting him home anyway. 

"I'm sure" 

They drove for another half hour in silence, until they reached the lake. Craig parked in one of the camping lots. There was one one else up here, despite the perfect weather, but that was for the better. It was the rawness of nature that his mother loved so much. He had the same appreciation for it. 

"Clyde?" 

Clyde turned around to face Craig, who was holding a folded blanket in his arms. 

"Yeah?" He responded quietly. He was hoping Craig wouldn't start getting... considerate again. It made him feel weak when he weakend the others around him. 

"Wanna go lay down?" He asked, nodding towards the car. 

"Yes, but let's sleep outside. I want to see the stars" 

Craig spread out the blanket over the patch of grass in the camping lot that was intended for a tent. Craig laid down on his back and folded his hands over his chest. Clyde laid next to him and tilted his head up. The stars were so much more visible than they were from town. No light pollution, no smog. Just atmosphere. 

"I fuckin' love space" Craig muttered, mostly to himself. Clyde hummed in agreement. Looking up at the stars somehow gave him comfort. 

"I know she's up there. Appreciating it up close" Clyde rambled. 

Craig smiled. He didn't even try and explain the lack of logic behind what Clyde had said. He just smiled. 

"She'll be watching your graduation from up there. I think it'll be a great view" 

"Thank you Craig, that's very comforting" he said. He meant it too, despite the tears rolling off the side of his face. Craig had noticed the other boy getting worked up, and reached out to grasp his hand. Clyde didn't even try to reject the gesture. Craig was sturdy and solid, and his hand was warm and reassuring. 

And the Clyde couldn't stand it anymore. He rolled to his left and let his head lay on Craig's chest. Craig's arms wrapped around him and kept him stable. 

"Are you okay?" Craig whispered into Clyde's hair.  He nodded his head gently. 

"Yeah, I'll live. Thank you Craig" 

Craig didn't respond, but he smiled. Both of them felt peaceful and steady, and that was all either of them needed for that night. 

"How long do you want to stay?" Craig asked. 

"Forever..." 

"Well eventually we'll get kicked out because I didn't pay the overnight fee" Craig chuckled. Clyde smiled.

"Let's stay here tonight. It's the closest I'll get to my mom" he said sadly. 

"Alright. Do you want me to go sleep in the car so you can have some space?" 

"No. You make it easier" 

Clyde let his arm rest over Craig's chest. Craig pulled his other arm around and completely engulfed the other boy in his arms.  And that's how the park ranger found them when he came to kick them out of the campground.


End file.
